MUCK

A MUCK is an online role-playing game that is usually text-based and accessible through telnet, as well as a variety of MUCK clients.

The actual expansion of the acronym MUCK is disputed, however some suggestions include:

Multi User Created Kingdom

Multi User Chat Kingdom

Multi User Construction Kit

It has also been suggested that the word MUCK is a play on the word MUD, or Multi User Dungeon, a similar type of game platform that is more focused on a points based role playing system.

Each MUCK has its own sets of rules and policies. Some MUCKs allow players to be Out Of Character (OOC) as much as they like, while others require them to be In Character (IC) more often, or always. Rules can vary in different areas of the MUCK.

Most MUCKs allow players to build. Creation might be restricted to simple objects, expanded to rooms and exits, or policy might allow for complex scripting. The creation and customization aspects of MUCK allow the player base to build a world.

NeonMUCK is a defunct MUCK project that was derived from a couple of lesser known derivatives of FuzzBall Muck 5.x - PuebloMUCK and RattyMUCK. Its primary feature was the addition of displaying ANSI color. GlowMUCK is a fork of NeonMUCK 1.x focusing more on stability and multi-platform compatibility. ProtoMUCK is derived from the NeonMUCK 2.x code and focuses on adding more extensive features such as additional prims, SSL and SQL support.

ProtoMUCK is a MUCK server program that is the direct descendant of NeonMUCK 2.x which itself is derived from RattyMUCK, PuebloMUCK, and FuzzBall MUCK. It attempts to maintain software compatibility with them while adding features. These features include: extensive ANSI color support, multiple wizard levels, @gag support, file access primitives, and more. Proto also maintains partial compatibility with older GlowMUCK and NeonMUCK server software, including their style of ANSI color encoding.

ProtoMUCK developers include Akari, Alynna, Hinoserm and The Blob. The ProtoMUCK project has often placed an emphasis on developing and adding unique new features.